Greentree Development Group Gives Condo as a Gift

Greentree Development Group and the Semper Fi Fund donated a condominium at Parkside at Wanaque, a community of 88 townhomes and condominiums in Haskell, N.J., to Matthew Todd, an injured veteran of the Iraq war.

Haskell, N.J.—Greentree Development Group and the Semper Fi Fund donated a condominium at Parkside at Wanaque, a community of 88 townhomes and condominiums in Haskell, N.J., to Matthew Todd, an injured veteran of the Iraq war.

“We’ve long respected the service of the U.S. military and we’re familiar with how important homes are in people’s lives,” Dave Gunia, Greentree Development Group’s division president, says. “We’re proud to welcome Matt home to our community.”

Todd’s 1,100-square-foot new home consists of two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen with energy efficient appliances, a living room/dining room combination, laundry room and storage areas. Additionally, a new washer and dryer were donated by Ferguson Appliances of Rockaway.

Greentree Development Group specializes in redevelopment, revitalization, environmentally challenged and financially troubled properties. According to Gunia, the donation was the product of a number of people working together.

“We work with a lot of different organizations to accomplish our work,” Gunia says. “Lakeside Construction, who did the excavation work here, uses Caterpillar machines. They buy them from Foley Incorporated in Piscataway. Kim Foley, chairman of Foley Caterpillar, sits on the board of directors of the Semper Fi Fund. We made a call and here we are.”

The Semper Fi Fund and its America’s Fund program are set up to provide immediate financial assistance and lifetime support for injured and critically ill members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. To date, the fund has given more than $99 million to over 13,000 service members and their families.

“We were able to change a service member’s life today. It impacted him greatly and put him on his future path for his life,” Susan Rocco, senior director of the Semper Fi Fund, says, adding she was blessed to be able to present him with the keys to his home.

As for the Marine himself, who arrived home after two tours in Iraq suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain and other injuries, Todd says he is still facing surgeries on his injured feet and is awaiting veteran’s benefits to kick in, so the new place to live comes at the ideal time.

“It took a few days for it to register,” Todd says. “I appreciate everything all of you have done for me. There’s a lot of us out there who aren’t getting this kind of help.”